


Storm at Sea, Part 1

by jelazakazone



Series: Storm at Sea [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 2012, Dubious Consent, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-04
Updated: 2012-01-04
Packaged: 2017-10-28 22:18:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/312765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jelazakazone/pseuds/jelazakazone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwaine remembers how he got his necklace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Storm at Sea, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title ‘Storm at Sea’ is also the name of a quilt block (http://bunchofbloomers.com/stormfrt.jpg) in which larger and smaller pieces of fabric are stitched together to form a whole that is more than the sum of the parts. Buckets of thanks to lewisian_gneiss for talking about a few ideas of how to deal with this and for wonderful beta help from her and kleinefee92. This is for princealia. I hope you like it.

A hand reached up to trace the chain around Gwaine’s neck, ending at the unusual charm. Lithe fingers toyed with the trinkets, clinking them together. And then the question; “where did these come from?”

Gwaine’s mind cast back several years and he heard himself say from a distance, “Ahhh, now that is quite the story.”

\---------------------

Gwaine considered himself an intrepid explorer. He was tenacious too. He had set out to map the terrain of his lover’s browned-butter body with the compass of his tongue and he wasn’t going to stop, despite her moans and feeble protestations. Her flesh had a tantalizing, exotic spiciness that fueled his fervor. He licked and then blew on her sensitized skin, triangulating her desires.

\--------------

Gwaine remembered coming to, hands tied around a pole behind his back. The moment he had laid eyes on Imzelda, the impact was instantaneous. The calculus of his desire was bound only by his mortality. He shivered and felt himself falling into her luscious dark chocolatey eyes; she’d cast a line and hooked his soul. He remained upright only because he was tied to the pole. Her mesmerizing voice directed a sailor to loosen his bonds. As she walked toward him, his knees buckled, not only from the hope that he might live a while longer, but also from the powerful hunger he felt for her.

The smooth skin of her strong fingers caressed his rough calloused hands as she lead him to a cabin belowdeck. As he stepped out of the salty wind, Gwaine thought perhaps he’d traded one prison for another, but enchanted as he was, he didn’t give a damn.

They walked single file down the dark narrow gangway, footsteps absorbed by the thick wooden floorboards. Gwaine absent-mindedly trailed a hand along the smooth wall as he wondered what might happen next. Imzelda pushed a door open and a heavy warm breeze wafted into the corridor, doing nothing to freshen the air. She gestured for Gwaine to enter ahead of her and walked in, pushing the door closed behind her.

It was a spartan room with only a straw bed and a chest, but there was a small window. As Gwaine moved toward the window, Imzelda came up behind him and firmly grasped his shoulders. She guided him to the straw mat and, understanding, he sat without resistance. She followed, her strong lithe body gracefully flowing into a sitting position next to him and looked directly into his eyes. He had that same sensation of drowning and only realized that he could understand her words when she stopped speaking. He shook himself a little and said, “Hunh?” A little smile on her face preceded her heavily accented words, “You are mine now. You are safe.”

She reached behind her neck and undid the clasp on her necklace. Gwaine had noticed the odd crescent when he first saw the woman, but did not know the its significance. Now she explained, “My father is a pirate king.”

Gwaine started to interrupt, “But,” and she put a smooth fingertip on his lips, “Shhhh. Just listen. Not so long ago, we lived in a peaceful village on an island with tall trees and sandy beaches. For generations there had been minor conflicts with other tribes, but they were always settled peacefully. One day, a big ship appeared on the horizon and we thought it would sail past, as usual.” She pursed her lips, the corners turning down slightly, and she sighed. “Alas, it was our misfortune that our tiny island was noticed that day. It was a pirate ship and the men swarmed our village, rounded us up, and put us on board. We had barely a moment’s notice to collect our belongings. They did not treat us poorly, but we were crowded and rations were thin. Some died on the high seas, their bodies tossed overboard to excise the demons that patrolled the ship. After many days, we came upon another ship and a great battle commenced. We flung flames across, boarded the other vessel when the fire failed, and engaged in hand to hand combat, but my father ended the conflict when his eyes turned gold and he summoned a waterspout which cleared the deck of its crew. When our captors saw this display of power, they gladly washed their hands of us and let us shift to this boat. My father, fearing that a show of magical power would spell all our deaths, performed his magic only when he could see a way to freedom for us.

Imzelda now reached around Gwaine’s neck and clasped the necklace. Her fingers lingered on the back of his neck before drawing around to caress his bearded chin and draw his face to hers for a light kiss. Pulling back, she repeated, “You are now mine. This crescent is a magical talisman that connects us until one of us dies. You will know how my soul fares while you wear this. Our souls fit together, as I know you know for I saw your shiver of recognition when our eyes first met.” And so it was done.

Gwaine never really understood if she had used magic on him or if they had been destined for one another, but he’d never felt that way about anyone since. He’d never been able to let go of the necklace, even when another added a new trinket to the chain.  
\--------

Agile fingers gently caressing Gwaine’s neck brought him back to the present. He shook himself and said dispassionately, “Hunh? Um, the necklace. Oh, that was a present from an African pirate princess.”


End file.
